Scratch is a fantastic, beginner-friendly platform that lets you dive into the world of coding through visual programming. It’s especially great for kids, but anyone can start learning with it — no prior experience needed! Whether you want to tell a story, make a game, or animate a silly cat, Scratch helps bring your ideas to life. In this post, we’ll walk you through the core basics of Scratch using fun and simple challenges.
Each challenge introduces essential Scratch skills in an easy, playful way — so let’s get scratching!
1. Meet the Scratch Interface
Challenge:
Take a tour of the Scratch interface and identify the stage, sprite area, blocks palette, and script editor.
Why It’s Useful:
Before you build anything, it’s important to know where things live! Understanding the layout helps you find the right blocks and manage your sprites and backdrops.
Tips:
- Stage: This is where your project plays out — your “screen.”
- Sprites Area: Shows all characters and objects in your project.
- Script Area: Drag and snap blocks here to program your sprite.
- Blocks Palette: Where all the magic blocks live — organized into Motion, Looks, Sound, Events, and more.
Try It Out:
Open Scratch and click on the default cat sprite. Explore how dragging a “move 10 steps” block into the script area affects your sprite when you click it.
2. Move Your First Sprite
Challenge:
Make the Scratch Cat move from one side of the screen to the other.
Why It’s Useful:
This is your first real interaction with code blocks. It teaches you about coordinates and how movement works.
Tips:
- Use “go to x: y:” to place your sprite.
- Use “glide 1 sec to x: y:” for smooth motion.
Bonus Tip: Add a “say Hello!” block after the movement to make your cat greet the audience.
3. Create a Simple Animation
Challenge:
Make a sprite change costumes to simulate an action like jumping or dancing.
Why It’s Useful:
Animations help you learn about timing and visual effects — super helpful for games or stories.
Tips:
- Sprites come with multiple costumes. Find them under the “Costumes” tab.
- Use “next costume” inside a repeat loop for basic animation.
- Add “wait 0.2 seconds” between costume changes for a smooth effect.
4. Add Sound Effects
Challenge:
Play a sound when a sprite is clicked or moves.
Why It’s Useful:
Sound makes your project more interactive and fun. Plus, you’ll get practice using Events and Sound blocks.
Tips:
- Use “when this sprite clicked” to trigger the sound.
- Add a “play sound [pop] until done” block for instant fun.
- Explore the Sound tab to record your own audio or choose from the library.
5. Make a Sprite Follow the Mouse
Challenge:
Program a sprite to chase your cursor around the screen.
Why It’s Useful:
It teaches you loops, sensing, and real-time interaction.
Tips:
- Use “forever” loop to keep the behavior going.
- Inside it, add “point towards [mouse-pointer]” and “move 5 steps.”
Bonus: Add a “if touching mouse-pointer then say ‘Gotcha!’” condition for a simple game mechanic.
6. Build a Simple Clicker Game
Challenge:
Click the sprite to earn points.
Why It’s Useful:
You’ll learn how to create and change variables — a core programming concept.
Tips:
- Create a variable called “score.”
- Use “when this sprite clicked” → “change score by 1.”
- Display the score on the screen to track progress.
Add-On Idea: Add a sound or costume change every time the sprite is clicked.
7. Design a Basic Backdrop Switch
Challenge:
Change the background when a key is pressed.
Why It’s Useful:
You’ll learn about Events and Looks blocks — perfect for making scenes or stories.
Tips:
- Add multiple backdrops in the Backdrops tab.
- Use “when [space] key pressed” → “switch backdrop to [name].”
Try This: Tell a short story by switching backdrops as the plot progresses!
8. Broadcast a Message Between Sprites
Challenge:
Have one sprite send a message and another respond.
Why It’s Useful:
Broadcasting is key to building multi-sprite interactions in games and animations.
Tips:
- Use “broadcast [message1]” on one sprite.
- On another sprite, use “when I receive [message1]” to trigger a new action.
Example: A button sprite sends a “start game” message, and the main sprite begins a dance routine.
9. Use the Green Flag Like a Pro
Challenge:
Reset everything when the green flag is clicked.
Why It’s Useful:
Good programs always start the same way. This helps you set up a consistent starting state.
Tips:
- Use “when green flag clicked” to reset the position, costume, score, backdrop, and any other starting values.
Example: Put your sprite back to the middle, reset the score to 0, and set the backdrop to “daytime.”
10. Try the Pen Extension
Challenge:
Draw shapes or trails with your sprite.
Why It’s Useful:
This extension lets you turn your sprite into a drawing tool — perfect for creative projects.
Tips:
- Add the Pen extension (click the blue box in the bottom left).
- Use “pen down,” “pen up,” “set pen color,” and “change pen size.”
Mini Project: Draw a square using loops and motion blocks.
Final Thoughts
Getting started with Scratch is all about exploring, experimenting, and having fun. These 10 beginner challenges are designed to give you a taste of what’s possible, all while learning the basic concepts that every future coder needs.
And remember — Scratch is visual, but the logic you’re learning applies to all programming languages. Whether you want to make games, tell stories, or simulate a bouncing ball, these basics are your launchpad.
Want to level up from here? Try out our Scratch animation tips or check out other things you can do with Scratch to keep your momentum going.